News & Politics

In May 2015 life changed dramatically for 182 British people and their families, when they were elected Members of Parliament in the General Election. We asked MP Kirsty Blackman, MP for Aberdeen North, how her life has changed since the election, and what it’s like to be an MP.

Have you ever noticed that children’s toys are often labeled as “Boys” or “Girls” toys?

Very often, the girls’ toy area will be a sea of pink and glitter with a lot of beauty, cooking, fashion and baby doll items. The boys’ area will have action figures, construction and science kids, plastic guns and dinosaurs. Even board games can sometimes be separated in this way. Tina takes a closer look at why this is unfair for all kids, and what a group called Let Toys be Toys are doing about it.

Are you interested in politics? Are you not sure?

Recently, we posted an interview with MP Hilary Alexander. where she talked about how she was inspired to get involved in politics and do positive things for people. She also said that if we don’t like the way things are, we have the power to change them. Sometimes, though, as a younger person, it can be a little bit hard to know where to start – especially if you’re under 16 and can’t vote yet. Here are a few things to think about if you want to ‘be the change you want to see’!

Recently the online parenting website Mumsnet ran a survey which found that people in politics are seen to be ‘white, middle-class and male’. We think that ANYONE can become an MP, so we decided to chat to some politicians about diversity in politics.

First up, we wanted to know what it is really like for women in politics. We asked Tina to chat with Heidi Alexander, Labour Minister of Parliament for Lewisham-East in London.

You might not have heard of Tony Benn, but his life and work helped define the country in which Jump! Mag is based – United Kingdom. A towering figure of British politics, he worked for over 60 years, first as Member of Parliament for Bristol South East and later Chairman of the Labour Party. Even after leaving parliament, he continued to make his views known, and was an extremely popular politician, both among Labour voters and supporters of other political parties.